Stretching and strengthening exercises are among the most effective treatments for plantar fasciitis, with up to 90% of cases resolving through conservative care like exercise, supportive footwear, and time. The two categories that matter most are stretches targeting your calf muscles and the plantar fascia itself, and resistance exercises that build strength in your foot and ankle. Results take patience: most people need several weeks to a few months of consistent work before pain drops significantly.
Calf and Plantar Fascia Stretches
Clinical practice guidelines give their highest recommendation to two types of stretching: stretches that target the plantar fascia directly and stretches that loosen the calf muscles (the gastrocnemius and soleus). Both reduce pain in the short and long term, with benefits documented from as early as one week out to 12 months. The only reported side effect across studies is mild discomfort during the stretch itself, which stops as soon as you release.
Interestingly, research using ultrasound imaging found that both types of stretching change the stiffness of the plantar fascia by a similar amount. So there’s no need to pick one over the other. Doing both covers your bases.
Calf Stretches
Stand facing a wall with one foot behind you, heel flat on the floor. Lean forward until you feel a pull in the back of your lower leg. For the deeper calf muscle, do the same stretch but with a slight bend in the back knee. Hold each for about 20 to 30 seconds. The AAOS recommends 2 sets of 10 repetitions, 6 to 7 days per week.
Plantar Fascia Stretch
Sit down and cross the affected foot over your opposite knee. Pull your toes back toward your shin until you feel a stretch along the arch of your foot. You can also do this with a towel looped around the ball of your foot first thing in the morning, before you take your first steps. Again, 2 sets of 10 reps, nearly every day.
High-Load Heel Raises
Strengthening exercises carry a strong recommendation for plantar fasciitis, and the single most studied protocol involves slow, heavy heel raises performed with your toes propped on a rolled towel or the edge of a step. This exercise loads the plantar fascia in a controlled way that promotes tissue adaptation over time.
The technique is specific: each rep takes about 8 seconds total. Rise up on your toes over 3 seconds, pause at the top for 2 seconds with your toes bent back, then lower over 3 seconds. Start with both feet and 3 sets of 12 repetitions, performed once a day, every other day. After 2 to 3 weeks, switch to single-leg raises. Once that feels manageable, add weight (a loaded backpack works well) and shift to 4 sets of 10. A few weeks later, progress to 5 sets of 8 with more weight.
This protocol is demanding, and you may notice some soreness. That’s expected. The goal is gradual, progressive loading, not pain-free sessions from day one. If pain spikes sharply or lingers well after your workout, reduce the load or drop back to bilateral raises.
Foot Strengthening: The Short Foot Exercise
Your foot has small muscles that support the arch from underneath, and they often weaken in people with plantar fasciitis. The “short foot” exercise targets these muscles directly. While seated, try to shorten your foot by drawing the ball of your foot toward your heel without curling your toes. Think of it as trying to raise your arch by squeezing the sole of your foot. Hold for a few seconds, relax, and repeat.
A meta-analysis found that this exercise measurably lifts the arch and shifts foot posture toward a more neutral position in people with flat feet. It’s subtle and takes practice, but it builds a foundation of intrinsic foot strength that supports everything else you’re doing. Towel curls, where you scrunch a towel toward you with your toes, work a similar group of muscles and can be done daily for about 20 repetitions.
Self-Massage With a Ball or Roller
Rolling the bottom of your foot over a tennis ball, lacrosse ball, or frozen water bottle helps release tightness in the fascia and provides temporary pain relief. The key is using enough pressure to feel a deep release without triggering a sharp pain response. Roll slowly along the length of your arch for 1 to 2 minutes. A frozen bottle adds the benefit of icing the area at the same time, which can help after a long day on your feet.
This isn’t a replacement for stretching or strengthening, but it’s a useful daily tool, especially on high-pain days. The AAOS lists it as an “as needed” exercise you can do every day.
How to Structure a Daily Routine
You don’t need to do everything at once. A practical weekly plan looks something like this:
- Every morning before walking: Towel stretch or seated plantar fascia stretch, 2 sets of 10
- Daily (6 to 7 days per week): Calf stretches (straight knee and bent knee), 2 sets of 10 each. Towel curls, 20 reps. Short foot exercise, 10 to 15 reps per foot.
- Every other day: High-load heel raises, following the progression described above
- As needed: Ball rolling for 1 to 2 minutes per foot
Plan on maintaining this routine for 4 to 6 weeks at a minimum, and don’t be discouraged if progress feels slow in the first couple of weeks. The tissue changes that reduce pain happen gradually. Strength gains in the calf and foot muscles compound over time, and most people notice meaningful improvement somewhere between 6 weeks and 3 months.
Night Splints for Morning Pain
If your worst symptom is that stabbing pain with your first steps in the morning, a night splint may help alongside your exercises. These devices keep your foot in a slightly flexed position overnight so the plantar fascia doesn’t tighten up while you sleep. Clinical guidelines recommend using one for 1 to 3 months. Most people find the dorsal style (which sits on top of the foot) more tolerable for sleeping than the boot-style version.
What to Expect and When to Adjust
Some discomfort during exercises is normal, particularly with the high-load heel raises and deeper stretches. A mild increase in pain that fades quickly after your session is acceptable. What you want to avoid is a pattern where exercises consistently make your pain worse for hours afterward or into the next day. If that happens, scale back the intensity. Drop the weight on heel raises, reduce the hold time on stretches, or cut your volume in half for a week before building back up.
Combined approaches work best. Research shows that when stretching, strengthening, and hands-on techniques like joint mobilization or soft tissue massage are used together, pain and function improve at both 6 weeks and 1 year. Isolated strengthening alone produces weaker results. So think of your exercise routine as one part of a broader strategy that includes supportive shoes, avoiding prolonged barefoot walking on hard surfaces, and managing your activity levels while the tissue heals.